Insider Only Real Estate, Residential, Top Stories

Multi-tower project at 299 Carling Ave. joins long list of developments planned for Little Italy

Mia Jensen

March 24, 2026

A project to build four mixed-use towers at 299 Carling Ave. near Dow’s Lake is moving ahead under new ownership.

Already an Insider? Log in

Get Instant Access to This Article

Become an Ottawa Business Journal Insider and get immediate access to all of our Insider-only content and much more.

Learn More and Become an Insider

A project to build four mixed-use towers at 299 Carling Ave. near Dow’s Lake is moving ahead under new ownership. Turn Group, which has offices in Ottawa and Calgary, will be redeveloping the three-acre parcel, currently a parking lot, into a four-tower development. The towers would range from 13 to 30 storeys and add 750 residential units and more than 600,000 square feet of mixed-use space to the rapidly developing neighbourhood. OBJ last reported on the project in June 2019, when the land was owned by Canada Lands Company in a joint partnership with the Algonquins of Ontario. At that time, the plan was to build three mixed-use towers with approximately 600 units. “With a strong commitment to inclusive housing, the development is designed to welcome a diverse mix of residents,” said Ash Mahmoud, CEO of Turn Group, in a release Tuesday. “Thoughtfully planned amenities, generous green spaces, and inviting public areas will create a lively, connected, and wellness‑focused urban environment.” Arcadis has been chosen as the architect for the project. The global firm has worked on projects such as the visitor welcome centre at Parliament Hill and the redevelopment of the World Exchange Plaza. “This project represents the best of what Arcadis’ integrated cross-country design teams can deliver,” Scott Arbuckle, Canada country director at Arcadis, said in the press release. “From client engagement and advisory services to architectural design and civil engineering, our teams nationwide are committed to shaping a development that is functional, sustainable, and attuned to Ottawa’s urban fabric and unique character.”

A rendering of a proposed development at 299 Carling Ave. Image credite: Arcadis — A rendering of a proposed development at 299 Carling Ave. Image credit: Arcadis

According to Arcadis, the towers will reflect “Ottawa’s distinctive harmony between natural landscapes and urban living, with a design inspired by the organic curves of Dow’s Lake.” The buildings will feature living facades, green roofs and natural materials, as well as large windows, terraced balconies and pedestrian-friendly pathways. The site is located a few blocks east of Preston Street near the intersection of Carling and Bronson avenues, with the Dow’s Lake LRT station a short walk away. The proposal adds to a number of developments either planned or underway in the Little Italy neighbourhood. Most notable is the 2.5-million-square-foot new Civic campus for The Ottawa Hospital, where construction is expected to wrap in 2028. The new campus is expected to be a major economic and traffic driver for the area. Farther north, there are plans to build a recreation and cultural facility on a 21-acre parcel of land at the intersection of the Little Italy, Hintonburg and Chinatown neighbourhoods. At the same time, Little Italy and areas along Carling Avenue have seen an influx of residential development, including the record-holding Claridge Icon condo building, which is set to be overtaken by a 50-storey tower, also by Claridge, which was approved by the city in December. On Beech Street, the city is considering an application for a 25-storey highrise with 392 units near the Civic campus. And Ottawa-based developer Arnon has proposed a two-phase project to build 500 new units as well as retail space for a grocery store at 450 Rochester Rd. CLV Group also plans to build three mixed-use highrises on a one-hectare property at 951 Gladstone Ave. and 145 Loretta Ave. N., steps from Preston Street and the Little Italy neighbourhood. The towers, ranging from 34 to 40 storeys, would contain a total of 930 residential units. And KTS Properties has filed an application to turn an eight-storey, 55,000-square-foot office building at 265 Carling Ave. at the corner of Bronson and Carling into a 70-unit rental complex with ground-floor retail space. The current proposal for 299 Carling Ave. includes more units than the earlier version of the project. The original plan was a multi-tower project with 600 units, 15 per cent of which would have been designated affordable. That project would have seen private developers build the highrises on the 3.2-acre site, which Canada Lands and the Algonquins of Ontario purchased in 2017.